Singapore, Aug 31, 2010: Chinese biopharma company HUYA Bioscience has entered into a partnership with the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). The collaborative agreement expands HUYA's foothold in Southern China, aiming to accelerate the development of novel drugs arising from the school's research efforts.

The agreement provides HUYA with access to and first review of certain novel therapeutic candidates owned or controlled by SYSU's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Correspondingly, the school gains access to HUYA's expertise in drug development as well as its global network of pharmaceutical partners.

HUYA is one of the first companies to have recognized China's potential to help meet the global needs for new preclinical and clinical stage compounds. This partnership is one of a series of collaborations that HUYA has established with leading academic and commercial R&D organizations throughout China in order to bring promising new drugs to global markets. The company has pioneered in-licensing clinical stage compounds from China and is co-developing them concurrently in the U.S. and China with international partners.

The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at SYSU, a prominent school in southern China, has the top per-capita research funding among China's pharmaceutical colleges and the capabilities to perform cutting-edge research as well as preclinical and clinical studies. Research results at the school have been recognized internationally and have won numerous national and provincial awards, including China's state funding for Key Projects on Innovative Drug Discovery. These activities have provided rich sources of novel drug candidates.

"The alliance with the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at SYSU bolsters our collaborative relationships with the school's outstanding faculty and researchers," said Mireille Gingras, Ph.D., President and CEO of HUYA. "We believe our combined efforts will not only benefit the growth of both organizations, but also yield product opportunities of high potential to meet global medical needs."